Malawi: PP Quashes Voter Registration Certificate Buying Allegations

Lilongwe — The ruling People's Party (PP) on Saturday parried away allegations leveled against them of buying voter registration certificates as a way of rigging May 20 tripartite elections.

Speaking to journalists in Lilongwe PP top politburo comprising Acting Secretary General Paul Maulidi, Deputy Publicity Secretary Ken Msonda and Deputy Campaign Director Ken Zikhale Ng'oma said the allegations orchestrated by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) are baseless, saying if allegations were true they could report either to police or Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).

"MCP has alleged that we are buying voter registration certificates from the electorate yet when asked to mention the names of those involved in the malpractice they have failed to produce evidence and the names.

"We condemn in its strongest terms the false, unfounded and undemocratic propaganda being fabricated by MCP, the party which is clueless as to how a ruling party operates in a democratic dispensation," Maulidi said.

Maulidi urged MCP brass to practice issue-based political campaign rather than instigating violence among supporters, saying such behaviour is uncalled for more especially when the country is about to hold long awaited tripartite elections.

He also explained that MCP together with other political parties are afraid of PP's policies under the tutelage of President Dr. Joyce Banda, saying the party's manifesto has strong policies that would sway the citizenry to vote for Dr. Banda in the forthcoming general elections.

"PP feels that MCP and other political parties are afraid of the forthcoming elections because they have realised that we have a very strong candidate in the name of Dr. Joyce Banda who is poised to win because of good policies which she is implementing," he explained.

Msonda had no kind words for the former ruling party, saying it is high time MCP stopped this madness of cheap politics. he explained that MCP should go out and convince voters as what Malawians should expect from them once voted into power as opposed to wasting time tarnishing good image of PP.

"It is disheartening and disappointing to see a political party whose leadership claims to be God fearing engaging in cheap, uncivilised and undemocratic campaign tactics. We demand that this madness should stop once and for all in the spirit of fair democratic and healthy multipartyism," Msonda said.

Last week MCP top brass told journalists in Lilongwe that PP was buying voter registration certificates from electorate in exchange of food items as a plot to rig the May 20 tripartite elections. The allegation did not go down well with the ruling party and has since accused the former of cheap politics that would not help Malawians.

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